Davie Provan slammed Rangers chairman Dave King for putting Graeme Murty’s future in doubt ahead of the Gers’ clash with Celtic.
King opted to release a statement earlier in the week outlining his ambitions for the Gers next season, as reported by the Scottish Sun, and revealed that he had not made a decision about whether Murty would be in charge of the club beyond this season.
Provan was not happy with the timing of King’s comments and shared that he thought the chairman should have waited to make his statement until after Sunday’s game against Celtic.
“In the build-up to today’s Old Firm game, King didn’t so much undermine Graeme Murty as hang him out on a washing line,” wrote Provan in his column for the Scottish Sun.
“Tells me how little understanding the Gers chief has of football, in particular the week leading up to a Glasgow derby.
“Yeah, I know he was trying to shift season tickets but he should have kept his sales blurb until next week.
“Instead, he left Graeme a lame duck, at a time Rangers players need to see authority in their manager, Murty was stripped of it.”
Provan went on to state that he believes King already knows what he will do regarding Murty and added that the players will not go the extra yard for their current manager as they’re uncertain whether he will be there next season.
The former Celtic player claimed that King’s statement would help the Hoops inflict a defeat on Murty’s team when the two sides meet on Sunday.
Before moving on from King’s statement, Provan also questioned how the Gers managed to let David Bates leave the club for free.
“Whoever is coming in needs to get ahead of the game for next season. David Bates’ departure to Hamburg is an embarrassment,” said Provan.
“You don’t want to lose good players unless you’re getting top dollar. Somebody needs their backside kicked for letting the kid run his contract down.”
Bates is set to join Hamburg on a free transfer in the summer, after signing a four-year contract with the Bundesliga club according to the Scottish Sun.
OPINION
Provan is spot on to criticise King for his recent statement, as it all but confirmed that Murty would depart the club in the summer. There was no need for King to publicly reveal his ambitions for the Gers at this time, and to do it before an Old Firm derby is just foolish. Provan is a bit brutal by questioning King’s knowledge of football, but the chairman clearly made a blunder with the timing of his comments. The former Hoops player is also right to slam the club for letting Bates go on a free. The 21-year-old centre-back has been a standout performer this season and the club should have never let his contract get to a point, where he could easily depart the club for nothing.